Electronic supplementary material

Abstract

Background

Undocumented migrants face particular challenges in accessing healthcare services in many European countries. The aim of this study was to systematically review the academic literature on the utilization of healthcare services by undocumented migrants in Europe.

Methods

The databases Embase, Medline, Global Health and Cinahl Plus were searched systematically to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies published in 2007–2017.

Results

A total of 908 articles were retrieved. Deletion of duplicates left 531. After screening titles, abstracts and full texts according to pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 29 articles were included in the review. Overall, quantitative studies showed an underutilization of different types of healthcare services by undocumented migrants. Qualitative studies reported that, even when care was received, it was often inadequate or insufficient, and that many undocumented migrants were unfamiliar with their entitlements and faced barriers in utilizing healthcare services.

Conclusions

Although it is difficult to generalize findings from the included studies due to methodological differences, they provide further evidence that undocumented migrants in Europe face particular problems in utilizing healthcare services.

De Vito E, de Waure C, Specchia ML, Ricciardi W. WHO health evidence network synthesis reports. Public health aspects of migrant health: a review of the evidence on health status for undocumented migrants in the European region. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2015.

Gea-Sánchez M, Gastaldo D, Molina-Luque F, Otero-García L. Access and utilisation of social and health services as a social determinant of health: the case of undocumented Latin American immigrant women working in Lleida (Catalonia, Spain). Health & Social Care in the Community. 2017;25(2):424–34.
https://​doi.​org/​10.​1111/​hsc.​12322.
CrossRef